Here are some of the search engine news headlines we have found interesting this week:

• Alternatives to Google Web Search

  Beyond Search May 7 2008.

• The 2008 Google Founders’ Letter

  Google Blog May 8 2009: Every year our founders take turns writing a letter that is included in our annual report.

• Baidu censorship documents leaked

  A China Digital Times post includes a comprehensive list of the websites that are being censored by Baidu. (Multilingual Search May 8 )

• MSN City Guides Gets a Facelift with Live Search

  The new MSN City Guides is an entirely re-vamped site, featuring a new design with integrated Live Search, Live Search Maps, video, content sharing, and more. (Live Search May 8 2009)

• Google Book Search Settlement Scrutinized

  The deal centers around “orphaned works.” These are books that are still protected by copyright but are out of print (About May 9 2009)

• Microsoft Kumo on June 2

  Microsoft’s rebranded search engine named “Microsoft Kumo” is expected to launch on June 2. (Every Joe May 3 2009)

• Live Search PR push in anticipation of “Kumo”

  Could Microsoft find a position that Google just doesn’t do well? (Liveside.net May 6 2009)

• Google: We’re good for journalism

  Google is under attack for profiting from content produced by newspaper executives, magazine publishers, and The Associated Press (cnet May 6 2009)

• Microsoft to Become “More Disruptive in Search”

  Steve Ballmer, in his speech at Stanford, says that Microsoft is going to have to become “more disruptive in search” in order to attempt to catch up to Google. (M Pilgrim May 8 2009)

• Gmail Goes Offline Again

  This outage seems to be impacting both web access, pop access and imap access. (SE Land May 8 2009)

• Favicons Coming to a Yahoo Search Ad Near You!

  Yahoo has revealed the limited testing of favicons in its search ads. (Marketing Pilgrim May 8 2009)

• Wolfram Alpha Now Live (Er, Was Live)

  Wolfram Alpha, the much anticipated fact engine, was live for a search while (SE Land May 7 2009)

• Predictive Search Query Suggestions

  A patent application published by Google this week gives us a little more insight into the search suggestions that it offers. (SEO by the Sea May 8 2009)

• Showing All the Right People All the Wrong Things

  Analyze the Performance of Your Site, Not Just Your Keywords (Jennifer Laycock May 6 2009)

• Microsoft Lays Off 3,000 More

  The job cuts are split between US and international operations. (Marketing Pilgrim May 6 2009)

• Eight things you didn’t know about the internet

  Could the net become self-aware and more from The New Scientist (Apr 30 2009)

Here are some headlines regarding the rumors of who’s to buy Twitter:

Apple, Microsoft, Google And News Corp Are All Sniffing Around Twitter

Silicon Alley Insider May 5 2009

• Apple in talks to buy Twitter for $700m

  Apple is set to offer $700 million to buy microblogging phenomenon Twitter in a deal to be announced in June (Telegraph May 5 2009)

• Twapple? Let’s Recap a Dozen Other Apple Acquisitions That Aren’t Going to Happen

  Apple buying Twitter? Unlikely Harry McCracken argues (May 5 2009)

• Microsoft Must Buy Twitter

  If Redmond wants to carve into’s Google search business it needs to offer whatever it takes to buy Twitter right now. (Silicon Alley Insider May 5 2009)

• Twitter Search to dive deeper, rank results

  Twitter Searchwill soon begin to crawl the links included in tweets and begin to index the content of those pages. (cnet May 6 2009)

and some more Twitter posts:

• Tweepz: Twitter People Finder from Exalead

  Search engine that searches accounts at Twitter, a free social messaging utility that’s hot right now. (Beyond Search May 6 2009)

• 50 Useful Twitter Tools for Writers and Researchers

  Twitter is a wonderful social tool, but did you know that it’s also a goldmine of information? (Online College Degree April 27 2009)

• Google To ‘Integrate’ Microblogging?

  Google is looking at ways of integrating microblogging capabilities, such as those popularized by Twitter, into its search product (SE Land May 8 2009)

And finally, life at the Googleplex in 200 seconds:

Since we have been to the Googleplex we can confirm the accuracy of this presentation, although the pace is not quite as hectic as this video seems to indicate.

Thanks to Google OS for this one.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks